Chicken brooder



Sept. 26, 1944;

c. L. MURRAY CHICKEN 3300mm Filed Feb, 19,1943

2 Sheets-Sheet l Swot/rm Mar/ xi Mu rray Sept. 26,1944. c. L. MURRAY2,353,938

CHICKEN BROODER Patented Sept. 26, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE V cCHICKEN BROODER Charles L. Murray, Waco, Tex. Application February 19,1943, Serial No. 476,443

2 Claims.

This invention relatesto chicken brooders, and the primary object ofthe, present invention is to provide a device of this kind which iscomparav tively simple in construction, highly eificient for theintended use, and easy to maintain and operate.

' "*Specific objects and features of the invention will become apparentfrom the following description when considered in connection with theaccompanying drawings, and the invention consists in the novel form,combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described,shown in the accompanying drawings and claimed.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view, partly broken away and in section, of abrooder constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a front elevational view thereof.

Figure 3 is a substantially central longitudinal sectional view of thesame, taken on line 33 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is asubstantially central transverse sectional view of ,thesame, taken on line 4-4 of Figure 1; and I Figure 5 is a wiring diagramshowing the ar-. rangement of the heatin and associated elements in anelectrical circuit.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the present brooder includes ahorizontal elongated rectangular base frame 5 provided with cornersupporting legs 6. The bottom of the frame 5 is closed by means of adepending pan-shaped member I which is closed at the top by a flat wall8 having a series of warm air outlet openings along the sides and endsof the same as at 9. Movable through the front wall of the frame 5 andslidably mounted on guide rails R above the cover plate or wall 8 aredrawer-like dropping pans I- whose outer side and end walls are locatedinwardly of the openings 9 as shown clearly in Figures 3 and 4. Thus,the pans II], which are provided at the front with knobs or handles ll,may be readily removed for disposal of the droppings in an obviousmanner.

Disposed upon the base frame is a rectangular casing [2 having side andend walls In and [2b whose lower edges terminate above the base frame 5to provide passages as at l3. Mounted or built suitably on the casing H!at the sides are feed boxes Hi from which the feed may flow by gravitythrough the passages l3 to the interior of the casing H for access bythe chicks within said casing. Similarly, water troughs I 5 are mountedat the ends of casing l2 from which water may pass by gravity throughthe passages 13 to the vby means of a partial partition ll dependingfrom the top of the casing l2 and a vertically slotted fabric curtain l8depending from said partitionto a point in proximity to the floor l6.One compartment is covered by glass panels I 9, while the top of theother compartment may be left open.

In warm weather, the chicks may safely pass into the open compartment,while they may seek refuge Within the compartment, which is covered bythe glass panels l9, for warmth. Both compartments may receive heatedair from the chamber defined within'the pan shaped member 1 and itscover 8,

which air passes through the warm air escape openings 9 upwardly intothe casing I 2. Said air may be heated by means of suitable heatingelements such as heating lamps 20 disposed in a longitudinal serieswithin the chamber defined by member I and its cover 8 upon a suitablesupport as at 2|. The member "I may have a suitably located inlet foradmittance of outside air to be heated by lamps 20. These heatingelements may be placed in parallel in a heating circuit as shown inFigure 5, and a pilot lamp 22 may also be provided in this circuit inparallel with the heating elements or lamps 20 as is also shown inFigure 5, said pilot lamp being suitably mount ed where desired, such asat the top of the partition I! where it may be readily seen so as tonote when the heating lamps are in operation. Also included in thisheating circuit is a thermostat 23 which controls the operation oftheheating elements or lamps Z0 and may be suitably mounted in the heatingchamber defined by the member I and its cover -B. By this means, thetemperature within the closed covered chamber located beneath the panelsl9, may be automatically regulated. Current may be supplied to theheating circuit by means of a suitable attachment cord 24, one end ofwhich may be plugged into a rein operation, the chambers of the casing[2 may be supplied with warm air, the chamber beneath the glass panels19 being kept the warmer by the confinement of most of the warm airtherein. Droppings may be forced through the foraminous floor I6 whenthey do not naturally fall therethrough, and these droppings, which arereceived by the dropping pans 10, may be readily disposed of by removalof the drawers of which the dropping pans form parts. The supply ofwater and feed to the troughs l5 and boxes l4 may be readily replenishedfrom time to time as found necessary, reserve supply feed bottles Bbeing provided for supplying water to the troughs l5 by the barometricprinciple.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that I have provided achicken brooder which is well adapted for carrying out the statedobjects of the invention. 1

What I claim as new is:

1. A chicken brooder comprising a horizontal rectangular base frameprovided with corner supporting legs, a pans'haped member closing" thebottom of said base frame and provided with a flat top wall so as todefine a heating chamber, said top wall having marginal warm air escapeopenings, a drawer embodying a dropping pan removably slidably mountedin the base frame above said cover for the heating chamber, a casingmounted on the base frame and having end and side walls terminatingabove the bottom of said casing to form passages, feed boxes and byglass panels.

water troughs mounted respectively on the sides and end of said casingand arranged for the passage of feed and water therefrom inwardlythrough said passages, and heating means within the heating chamber,said casing having a foraminous floor through which droppings may passto the dropping pan.

2. A chicken brooder comprising a horizontal rectangular base frameprovided with corner supporting legs, a pan shaped member closing thebottom of said base frame and provided with a fiat top wall so as todefine a heating chamber, said top wall having marginal warm air escapeopenings, a drawer embodying a dropping pan removably slidably mountedin the base frame above said cover for the heating chamber, a casingmounted on the base frame and having end and side walls terminatingabove the bottom of said casing to form passages, a foraminous floor forthe casing above said drawer, feed boxes and water troughs mountedrespectively on the sides and end of said casing and arranged for thepassage of feed and water therefrom inwardly through said passages, andheating means within the heating chamber, said casing being divided intotwo compartments by means of a longitudinal partial partition and acloth vertically slitted curtain depending from said partition, one ofsaid compartments having the top thereof covered CHARLES L: MURRAY,

